I was in DC for the past few days to represent the family for the burial of an old friend. He'd been a general in the Army and was laid to rest at Arlington. I know I've been to Arlington before as I spent 7 years of my childhood in Virginia, but I don't think I've ever seen anything quite like this.
In the photo below, note the riderless horse. The horse follows that caisson carrying the flag-draped casket, symbolizing the general's trusty steed, from back in the days when generals rode horses.
It was beautiful, in a traditional way. Thank God for the military where traditions live on.
4 comments:
Amen.
Where at ANC? I’ll have to drop by next time I visit the in-laws in section 43.
The tradition and ceremony are humbling.
A good sendoff, I'm sorry for your loss.
One of the signs my family is extremely blessed is that we don't have anybody I know in Arlington. I'm sure my husband's family has someone-- they're Navy (mostly just one hitch, enlisted) as far back as anybody can find, with a few black-sheep Marines and I think one Army guy, though their reserve service is all over the map. A couple of my mom's relatives "should" have ended up there, but somehow avoided it.
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